Harshit Rana has been ruled out as Yash Thakur named replacement for Afghanistan T20I, Asian Games

Harshit Rana and Yash Thakur (Image Agency) NEW DELHI: India speedster Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan and the 2026 Asian Games after suffering another injury setback, with Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur named as his replacement in both teams.As reported by TimesofIndia.com earlier, Rana was progressing well with his rehabilitation at the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) but suffered a rectus femoris strain while bowling during a simulated match on September 7. After failing, the men’s selection committee excluded him from upcoming assignments.This development comes after a long hiatus in work for Rana. The fast bowler suffered a hamstring injury during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge earlier this year.He also injured his knee during India’s warm-up match against South Africa ahead of the 2026 Men’s Under-20 World Cup and was ruled out of the tournament. Rana then underwent surgery and missed the 2026 Indian Premier League, where he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team.After completing his rehabilitation, Rana was brought back into India’s plans and was added to the squad for the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai on 20 June.However, the latest injury forced him out of the next two India assignments.Rana’s absence will be a blow to the pace attack, which already includes Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. The selectors chose Yash Thakur as his replacement, giving the Vidarbha paceman another opportunity at the international level.Yash Thakur gets another invitation to IndiaThakur, 27, recently made his T20I debut during India’s tour of Zimbabwe in July. He started in two matches and picked up four goals.His domestic record has also made him a regular name in India’s limited-overs schedules. Thakur played 50 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches and took 81 wickets at an economy rate of 7.04.He will now be part of the Indian squads for both the Afghanistan T20I series and the Asian Games.India will take on Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series on September 13, 15 and 17. Although all three matches will be played in Delhi, Afghanistan is the official host for the bilateral series.India will then turn their attention to the Asian Games in 2026. The team is scheduled to depart Delhi on September 18, with Iyer continuing as captain and Tilak as vice-captain.Updated India Squad for Afghanistan T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Thash.. Jasprit BushIndia Squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Shiavanh, V.